As detailed in the Guide to the Labyrinth, the Labyrinth is the “space between worlds.” Though most of the Labyrinth consists of tunnels, bridges, and stranger passageways, bottled cities and pocket dimensions lie within its twists.
One such bottled city is known as Klingedesh. Located as centrally as anything could be in the Labyrinth, this place of commerce has numerous portals and contains shops, stores, and stalls piled upon each other like building blocks. Shops shift positions and sometimes disappear, but even if you lose a favorite establishment, someone else is probably selling the thing you want somewhere in Klingedesh. For the right price.
Mr. Mott’s Toy Shoppe
Type Public Business
Size Small Shop
Location Ascendant Ward
Proprietor Mr. Mott
Notable Staff —
Typical Goods Magical toys, puzzles, games; selection of very rare/legendary wondrous items
Down Vassa Street, at the heart of the Ascendant Ward, is an unassuming storefront. Children of all lineages press their noses (if they have them) up to the wide window to gasp at brightly colored playthings. To one side, the wooden sign hanging above the red door reads “Mr. Motts Toys.”
Within these walls, the most wondrous toys can be found: clockwork figurines, beautiful dolls, colorful puzzles, clever games of dice and cards, tin soldiers, stuffed cloth creatures, wooden stick horses, shimmering rolling hoops, colorful pinwheels and spinning tops. Most of these products possess minor magics to add a bit of movement, color, or pizzazz to each toy. Local children save and scrounge every coin hoping and dreaming of owning one of Mott’s creations. To his credit, Mott keeps the prices for his toys ridiculously low, often raising or lowering the costs depending on a young customer’s behavior.
Mr. Mott also carries a curated selection of very rare and legendary wondrous items for specific clientele. The type, price, and rarity of these artifacts changes, and it is unclear to observers exactly where these items come from. For quite some time, an orb of dragonkind and a well of many worlds have gathered dust upon the shelves. Mott claims he waits for the “right person” to come along before he sells those particular items.
The enigmatic Mr. Mott (mage) appears as an older human wearing flamboyant clothes, incorporating a patterned vest and clockwork hat, with wild white hair and a wide grin. In fact, all of the Mr. Motts look exactly the same. For there is a Mr. Motts Toy Shoppe in many different worlds. Each store is run by a clone of the original toy maker, and all of the establishments connect via hidden portals to a toy factory hidden in its own pocket demiplane.
Secret. As with any shopkeeper, Mr. Mott wants customers to frequent his store. However, he isn’t just being nice. A strange man with particular habits, all Mott ever wanted was to have children of his own. Perfect children. Ones who always smiled and always laughed, and never misbehaved. All of the Mott clones carefully study the children lured into the shop, and send their toy-like minions to abduct likely candidates, spiriting them away to the extraplanar factory where the original Mr. Mott decides if they are worthy. Those who fail to measure up are magically transformed into one of the clockwork creatures toiling away in the factory. No child has yet met Mr. Mott’s unrealistic standards.
Honest Tenkar’s Relics and Artifacts
Type Public Business
Size Medium Shop
Location Wentletrap Ward
Proprietor Tenkar Ardlo
Notable Staff Misila Sytana
Typical Goods Magical items, relics and artifacts
Located on an upscale section of Platinum Avenue in the Wentletrap Ward is a gaudy shop decorated with gilt filigree and brightly painted shutters. The elaborately carved sign in the window reads “Tenkar’s Fine Emporium”, but everyone knows it as Honest Tenkar’s.
With advertisem*nts seen across Klingedesh, Tenkar’s claims to specialize in authentic and powerful holy relics, ancient magical artifacts, and lost relics of power. Inside, gentle harp music plays from unseen musicians and the air smells of freshly baked cakes at all times. The rows of glass covered shelves display a wide variety of magical objects, each resting on velvet cushions next to small placards describing the nature of the item. What may give some customers pause are the large signs reading “No Guarantees” and “No Returns.”
While the owner, Tenkar Ardlo (gnome gear mage), purports to offer authentic and powerful arcane artifacts and holy relics, but, in truth, most are common magic items with flashy one-use abilities. One of Tenkar’s best sellers is his blasting blade, a +1 longsword that allows the wielder to cast eldritch blast twice before losing the bonus power. Tenkar is careful never to promise more than his items can deliver, and is cunning enough to spin his words to beguile and fool. While he certainly misleads his customers, the gnome always sells actual magical items.
Tenkar is assisted in the shop by Misila Sytana (succubus) who usually dons the disguise of a beautiful tiefling. Misila is a cunning and direct woman who hides her hatred of Tenkar behind a sultry facade. She owes the shopkeeper a great debt and works to get out from under it. Misila’s role is to use her powers and talents to convince customers to spend as much coin as possible.
Secret. When he is not fooling the gullible, Tenkar does a steady business acquiring actual artifacts for patrons and customers with deep pockets. He has contacts across many worlds, and given enough time there are few items he can’t find. How he comes into possession of these items is a murkier business. Tenkar is always on the lookout for competent adventurers, with less-than-firm morals, to aid him in convincing the reluctant to part with their treasures, one way or the other. Sometimes customers who enter the shop with interesting items become Tenkar’s next victims.
An Item From the Planes
FIGURINE OF WONDROUS POWER: TOY SOLDIERS
Wondrous Item, Toy Soldier (Uncommon)
4,500 gp
This appears to be a one-inch tall metal figurine resembling a soldier-at-arms or knight. These miniatures are created in sets of one, two, or three. If you use an action to speak the command word and throw any number of toy soldiers to a point on the ground within 60 feet of you, the figurines become living creatures with the stats of animated armor for up to 1d4 rounds.
If the space where the creature would appear is occupied by other creatures or objects, or if there isn’t enough space for the creature, the figurine doesn’t become a creature. The creature is friendly to you and your companions. It understands your languages and obeys your spoken commands. If you issue no commands, the creature defends itself but takes no other actions.
At the end of the duration, the creature reverts to its figurine form. It reverts to a figurine early if it drops to 0 HP or if you use an action to speak the command word again while touching it. When the creature becomes a figurine again, its property can’t be used again until 2 days have passed.
Tags: Labyrinth
